Training & Education

Accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)

The USC/Los Angeles General Medical Center Gynecologic Oncology fellowship program is an enriching opportunity for fellows to develop all the necessary clinical skills to become an independent consultant. The Division of Gynecologic Oncology is an academic organization dedicated to clinical excellence and outstanding clinical and translational research. The USC Norris Gynecologic Oncology program offers a comprehensive diagnostic and treatment program for premalignant and malignant diseases of the female reproductive tract. This includes advanced surgical procedures, reconstructive surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and genetic counseling.

Seven board-certified or board-eligible gynecologic oncologists are headed by Lynda D. Roman, M.D. The gyn oncology faculty are renowned for their experience and skill at managing difficult cases with a multi-modality approach to cancer therapy. Individualized treatment plans are formulated based on the latest information and technology.

The USC Norris gynecologic oncology team’s expertise in pelvic reconstructive surgery at the time of curative cancer surgery emphasizes conservatism and preserving quality of life. Reconstruction includes reestablishing bowel continuity, continent urinary diversion, and development of a functional neovagina. They are skilled in fertility preservation techniques and work closely with reproductive endocrinology and infertility specialists in patients seeking these procedures.

The training program encompasses 36 consecutive months spent exclusively in Gynecologic Oncology.

The first year is spent in research with these objectives:

1. To provide the opportunity for the fellow to spend a year in a basic science or translational laboratory under the mentorship of an established and funded investigator whose research focus is relevant to the field of gynecologic oncology.
2. To provide the opportunity for the fellow to attend laboratory meetings and to have access to other investigators collaborating with their primary mentor so that they can receive instruction and experience in the varied disciplines relevant to the investigation ongoing in their assigned laboratory.
3. To provide instruction and guidance to the fellow in the process of grant application.
4. To provide the fellow instruction in epidemiology and the principles of statistics.
5. To provide supervision and instruction in a basic science investigation relevant to the field of gynecologic oncology that will culminate in submission of an abstract to a major scientific meeting and submission of a manuscript for publication.
6. To provide the fellow with the tools necessary to independently develop a research hypothesis, to design an appropriate study to address the question being asked, to obtain IRB approval, and to summarize the findings in a well written paper.

The second and third years will be spent in two clinical rotations: Los Angeles General Medical Center and Keck Medical Center/Norris Cancer Center of USC.

The Keck/Norris rotation is designed to give the fellow extensive experience and graduated skill in the medical and surgical management of women with gynecologic malignancies (including vulvar, vaginal, cervical, ovarian/fallopian tube, uterine cancers and gestational trophoblastic disease) with particular emphasis on training in the management of women receiving systemic therapy, radiation therapy, and those enrolled in clinical trials.

The Los Angeles General Medical Center rotation is designed to give the fellow extensive experience and graduated skill in the medical and surgical management of women with gynecologic malignancies (including vulvar, vaginal, cervical, ovarian/fallopian tube, uterine cancers and gestational trophoblastic disease) both in the outpatient and inpatient setting. At the completion of the last Los Angeles General Medical Center rotation, the fellow is expected to be able to devise appropriate treatment plans and perform both minimally invasive and open gynecologic cancer surgery independently with staff oversight.

The Los Angeles General Medical Center fellowship program is fully accredited by the Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). Individuals completing this three-year training program are capable of fulfilling the necessary requirements for sub-specialty certification established by the Division of Gynecologic Oncology of the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ABOG).

Applicants for the gynecologic oncology fellowship must have completed an ACGME-accredited core program in obstetrics and gynecology. In addition, applicants must meet all requirements for eligibility set by the Los Angeles General Medical Center Office of Graduate Medical Education. Every fellow must have a California medical license by the beginning of the fellowship training program.

Applicants to the fellowship must apply through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) and also register with the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP). Our program follows the Society of Gynecologic Oncology (SGO) common application dates which can be found at https://www.sgo.org/fellowships/.

Please email all CREOG scores to Danielle Gomez at danielle.gomez@med.usc.edu. Incomplete applications including those with missing CREOG and/or USMLE scores may not be eligible for consideration.